Castle Mountains, contain outstanding populations of mule deer, 

 antelope, and sage grouse. Additionally, these units support 

 moderate populations of white-tailed deer, mountain lion, bobcat, 

 lynx, beaver, turkey, pheasants, and sharp-tailed grouse. Also 

 achieving Class II species value, the tributaries from the Castles 

 and the north side of the Crazy Mountains are home to moderate to 

 high populations of white-tailed deer, mule deer, and elk. 



Recreation 



The central Missouri River drainage contained 84 river 

 segments in 1,361 river miles, which were assessed for their 

 recreational value. Eighty miles (six percent) were rated as Class 

 I (Outstanding), 5 percent as Class II (Substantial), 56 percent 

 as Class III (Moderate), and 30 percent as Class IV (Limited) 

 (Table 50). The most common reason for assigning a resource value 

 was high use levels (mentioned for 22 percent of the river miles). 

 Limited access was a factor on 19 percent of the river miles and 

 good access was mentioned on 12 percent. Recreational use was 

 heavy on 20 percent of the river miles, moderate on 43 percent, 

 and low on just 27 percent. Access was rated as abundant on only 

 nine percent of the inventoried stream mileage, moderate on 36 

 percent, limited on 21 percent and restricted on 16 percent. 



Scenic quality was rated as Substantial or higher for 23 

 percent of the mileage studied, and as Moderate for 55 percent. 

 The drainage contained 53 miles (six percent of the drainage's 

 miles) providing primitive settings for recreation, while 17 

 percent were rated as semi-primitive, 60 percent as transitional, 

 and 26 percent as rural. 



Fishing from shore was the most common recreation activity by 

 far, a primary or secondary use on 95 percent (all but two) of the 

 segments. Canoeing was a primary activity on 349 river miles and a 

 secondary use on 136 miles. Swimming took place on 55 percent; 

 rafting 44 percent of the river miles, and kayaking on 43 percent. 

 Thirty-eight percent of the river miles inventoried were rated as 

 not boated. The floated rivers contained stretches of flat water 

 (22 percent), minor rapids (23 percent), and moderate rapids (13 

 percent). Tent camping occurred on about 80 percent of the river 

 miles, and other recreational uses included picnicking and viewing 

 the scenery, car camping, hunting, and hiking. 



Botanical Features 



The central Missouri River drainage contained 21 botanical 

 natural feature sites, 17 (seven percent of the statewide total) 

 of which received a final value rating of Class I or Class II. 

 This proportion is just under the average of nine percent for the 

 12 drainages in state. Seven of the sites within this drainage are 



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